New AALDEF Report: The Asian American Vote in 2016

Today, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) released a new report with detailed findings from its nonpartisan multilingual exit poll of 13,846 Asian American voters in the November 2016 elections. The exit poll found that the overwhelming majority of Asian Americans backed Democratic candidates for President and Congress. The majority of Asian American voters also supported stricter gun control laws, comprehensive immigration reform, and laws to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination, while half of Asian American voters polled did not think that the police treat racial and ethnic groups equally.

The exit poll results are part of AALDEF's 14-state multilingual exit poll of Asian American voters in jurisdictions with large Asian American populations. The exit poll was conducted in California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington D.C.

Four out of five (79%) of Asian Americans polled voted for Hillary Clinton, 18% voted for Donald Trump, and 2% voted for another candidate. Of those surveyed, 59% were enrolled in the Democratic Party and 11% were enrolled in the Republican Party. More than a quarter of those polled (27%) were not enrolled in any political party, while 3% were enrolled in another party,

"Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial group in the country and have the highest rates of naturalization. Despite facing numerous barriers, Asian Americans made their voices heard, particularly in close elections. AALDEF will continue to mobilize volunteers to protect all voters in as many jurisdictions as possible, including in the 2017 elections in New York City, Boston, New Jersey, and Virginia," said Jerry Vattamala, AALDEF Democracy Program Director.

The vast majority of respondents (78%) supported stricter gun control laws. Overall, 65% supported comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and 65% supported laws to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. One half (50%) of voters polled said they do not think that the police treat racial and ethnic groups equally.

The largest Asian ethnic groups in the exit poll were Chinese (35%), Asian Indian (13%), Bangladeshi (11%), and Korean (10%). Nearly one-third (30%) were first-time voters.

AALDEF executive director Margaret Fung said: "With overwhelming Asian American support for Democratic candidates in the 2016 elections and a rejection of the Trump agenda, it will be important to watch the growth of Asian American voter participation in the 2018 midterm elections."

One out of three (32%) Asian American voters surveyed said they were LEP, which is defined as reading English less than "very well." Of all language groups polled, Korean-speaking voters exhibited the highest rate of limited English proficiency at 63%. Sixty percent (60%) of Khmer-speaking voters and 55% of Mandarin-speaking voters were also LEP. Among South Asian Americans, most voters were largely proficient in English, although 38% of Bengali-speaking voters were limited English proficient.

- Nearly four of five Asian Americans voted for Hillary Clinton for President.

Four out of five (79%) Asian Americans voted for Clinton and 18% voted for Trump. South Asian American voters, including Asian Indian, Bangladeshi, Indo-Caribbean, and Pakistani Americans, showed the strongest support for Clinton, at 90%. Among Vietnamese Americans, who showed the lowest support for Clinton, 65% voted for Clinton and 32% for Trump.

- Asian American women supported Hillary Clinton at higher levels in 2016 as compared to Obama in 2012.

Among Asian American women, 83% for Clinton and 15% voted for Trump. Among Asian American men, 76% for Clinton and 21% voted for Trump. Compared to the 2012 presidential election, 79% of Asian women voted for Obama and 20% for Romney, while 76% of Asian men voted for Obama and 21% for Romney.

- Of the Asian Americans who voted for Trump, Protestants and Catholics showed the greatest support.

Across the category of religious affiliation, a large majority of Asian Americans said they voted for Clinton. Protestants showed the greatest support for Trump at 30%, followed by Catholics at 28%. 67% of Protestants and 70% of Catholics voted for Clinton. Muslims showed the strongest support for Clinton at 97%, while 2% of Muslims voted for Trump.

- The majority of Asian Americans voted for the Democratic candidate in most congressional races.

In Florida, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, 73% of Asian Americans voted for the Democratic senatorial candidates and 21% voted for the Republican candidates. One exception was in Louisiana: 62% of Asian Americans voted for Republican senatorial candidate Joseph Cao, a Vietnamese American who formerly represented Louisiana's 2nd congressional district. In other congressional races, 76% of Asian Americans voted for the Democratic House candidates and 16% voted for the Republican candidates.

- Asian Americans cited the economy and jobs most frequently as an important factor influencing their vote for President.

The major factors influencing the Asian American vote for president, based on all factors mentioned, were the economy/jobs (22%), immigration/refugees (16%), health care (16%), and education (15%). Other important factors included terrorism/security (10%), women's issues (10%), and the environment (6%).

- Voting barriers persisted.

Voters were asked if they encountered any voting problems:

-291 voters were required to prove their U.S. citizenship.

-284 voters indicated that their names were missing or had errors in the list of voters at poll sites.

-218 voters had to vote by provisional ballot.

-144 voters indicated that no interpreters or translations were available when they needed the help.

-126 voters indicated that poll workers did not know what to do.

-119 voters were directed to the wrong poll site or voting machine/table within a site.

-88 voters indicated that poll workers were rude or hostile.

AALDEF attorney Jerry Vattamala presented the results of the 2016 multilingual exit poll at the New York City office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

AALDEF's multilingual exit polls reveal vital information about Asian American voting patterns that is often overlooked in mainstream voter surveys. AALDEF has conducted exit polls of Asian American voters in every major election since 1988. In 2016, 124 community organizations and law firms joined AALDEF to mobilize over 800 attorneys, law students, and volunteers to conduct the exit poll and to safeguard the voting rights of Asian Americans.